After the fall
by Cabinlock221
Summary: Hathway has an accident in the line of duty, Lewis can only wait and hope.
1. Chapter 1

After the fall

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters; they are the property of Colin Dexter and ITV. I do not intend any copy right infringement and I make no profit from this.

I love Lewis and was gutted when it was cancelled but this is my first Lewis fanfic after being inspired to write my own after reading others. I apologies for any spelling and grammar mistakes that I haven't picked up on. I would be grateful if you could point any of these out to me and of any constructive criticism you would like to give.

His brain was conditioned to wake to the sound of his mobile.

"Hathaway"

"Meet me at Wycilffe Hall, 20 minutes; I've been a bloody idiot"

"Sir"

It wasn't until he'd showered, dressed and was in the car that Hathway had stopped to wondered what could this new information be that Lewis had found and why did that nesseciatate having to meet at the crime scene at three in the morning?

Hathway parked on the Banbury road behind his Gov's car and went in search of him. He found him in the college library; the older man looked up as the shadow of the tall man fell across the book he was looking at.

"Hathaway come and look at this, you did theology, does it seem right to you that a man of God would say something like that?"

"No sir, not at all but I don't' understand what…?"

"Dr Grimshall, he's been lying to us from the start, why would he was trying to cover up his affair from his wife and the child that was the result of it, that's why he was so anti-abortion it was because he was trying to cover up the fact that he made Melissa Hanes have one after she told him that she was pregnant"

"The gentleman does protest too much me thinks"

"Exactly, we need to find Grimshall"  
"But sir no ones seen him for two days he could be in another country by now"

"He won't be he's just biding his time there is still one more person he needs to silence"

"Melissa Hanes, I know where she'll be"

Hathaway races round the corner as Lewis calls after him. Lewis follows slightly behind, being slightly less fit than the man young enough to be his son and the fact that he got a head start. He finally catches up with him at the top of the Hall after having had to climb three flights of stairs to get to the roof, panting heavily he serves the scene, his sergeant is talks softly to the Dr who has his arm wrapped around the neck of the very distressed Miss Hanes. Lewis steps forward to assist with negotiations to free the woman from the grasp of the don. Who is still backing towards the edge of the roof. Hathway is still speaking when the troubled voice of the old man rips through the night air

"I can't, I tried to live with it but it all got too much, they had to be stopped they would of ruined my reputation but I went too far and I sorry but she has to die to, I can't die alone. I'm sorry; I'm so sorry my love"

He stops as his leg collides with the low stone wall that indicates the end of the roof. He looks down as if to check that it is the end,

"I am sorry" He says with a final look to Hathaway who has now creped forward and is only inches from him as he leans back.

"No" cries Hathaway as he reaches for the woman who manages to escape her captor's grasp but Hathaway over balances and falls with Grimshall.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters; they are the property of Colin Dexter and ITV. I do not intend any copy right infringement and I make no profit from this.

I love Lewis and was gutted when it was cancelled but this is my first Lewis fanfic after being inspired to write my own after reading others. I apologies for any spelling and grammar mistakes that I haven't picked up on. I would be grateful if you could point any of these out to me and of any constructive criticism you would like to give.

I'm not a medical person so I apologies for any mistakes I've made regarding medical issues.

Lewis couldn't believe what he had just witnessed; he rushed over to the edge of the roof, James and Grimshall were lying motionless on the ground. He went to Melissa, whatever happened he needed to do his job, he was in shock and pure instinct was now kicking in

"You okay?"

"Fine, go, I'll call an ambulance"

Lewis raced down the stairs barely noticing them this time. He reached James first and shook him calling his name and slapping his face

"James, James can you hear me, speak to me lad"

He heard a slight groan in reply and felt himself start to breath more normally, he was still alive, there was still hope. He checked Grimshall, no pulse he had landed on the grass but his head had found a stone to fall on, his experience told him there was nothing he could do even if he'd wanted to help him. He turned his attention back to his still immobile sergeant. "It'll be alright lad, it'll be ok, just hang in there the ambulance won't be too long" he said trying to reassure himself as much as the man who probably couldn't hear a word of what he was saying. He stripped off his own jacket and placed it over James, trying to recall his first aid training, which unfortunately didn't cover people falling off buildings. He looked for injuries trying to see what he could do to help but other than his arm being the wrong way round which he thought would be best not to touch as he might do more harm than good and a small trickle of blood coming from his head he couldn't see anything wrong with him but he knew that didn't mean there wasn't anything wrong. He kept one finger on his pulse which was getting weaker and weaker as the minutes dragged on.

What seemed like hours later, but in reality had only been about ten minutes two ambulances roared into the drive. The paramedics jumped out to attend to the two casualties. They got Hathaway in the ambulance almost immediately, it was clear that his condition was very serious and he needed to be in hospital urgently. Lewis hopped in the back with him without asking, he held Hathaway's hand all the way to the hospital and only let go when he was rushed into the resuscitation unit at A&E and he was told to wait outside.

He was still standing there, shaking, when Laura arrived 10 minutes later, after having been informed of the accident.

"Oh Robbie, I'm so sorry, has there been any news"

"No, I can't see him, but I can't, I don't want him to be alone"

Robbie felt a buzzing in his pocket, he pulled out his phone

"Lewis"

The voice at the other end of the phone was female and gentle

"Hello, is this Mr Robert Lewis?"

"Yes" His voice too tight to say more

"I'm a nurse at the John Radcliffe hospital, we have you listed as next of kin for Mr James Hathaway, he's had an accident"

"What… I, I know I'm already here at the hospital"

"Oh sorry" the voice disappeared.

"Who was that?" Laura had a concerned look on her face

"The hospital, I'm James's next of kin, why would he do that what about his family?" Maybe he doesn't have any he thought.

"Mr Lewis?" It was the nurse from the phone

"Yes"

"I'm really sorry about that, I was just trying to get hold of next of kin to update them"

"Well, what's going on then?"

"Shall we go somewhere more private?"

"No just tell me now"

"Well he's got a couple of breaks, his arm will need surgery and a few fractured ribs but we're not concerned about them. He's got a fractured skull and his brain is swelling, he's in an induced coma for now but we the swelling has now taken over and that will keep him unconscious, so we don't know when he will wake up. I'm very sorry to have to tell you this but there is a possibility that he might not wake up."

The colour drains from Lewis's face

"Robbie sit down" Laura manhandles him into a chair.

"Can I see him?" He says in a shaky voice

"Not just yet, I'll let you know as soon as you can, but you should know he will be asleep and won't know your there, why don't you go home and get some sleep and something to eat?"

"No I'm not leaving him"

"Ok, I'll be back to let you know when you can see him"

As soon as the nurse leaves he starts to tremble again

"Oh Robbie" Laura pulls his head into her shoulder and holds him but she doesn't say it'll be ok, she's a doctor she knows what might happen, she doesn't want to give him false hope. She just holds him tight.

"Robbie" Laura shakes him awake about an hour later. "The nurse is here". Robbie jumps up

"Can I see him?"

"Yes but you should prepare yourself there's a lot of bruising."

Robbie and Laura follow the nurse upstairs along corridors until they reach the intensive care unit. "Just in here" She pulls back a curtain and he's there, but not there, James but not James, too silent, too still, too pale, even for him. The machines around him bleep and whirl, keeping him alive, but not alive enough. Lewis takes the seat beside the bed and puts James's hand in his.

"Oh James, I'm so sorry lad, I should have helped more, I let you down, I'm so sorry, please come back to me."  
They stay like that for hours Lewis talking nonstop alternately apologising and begging all the time holding James's hand. Laura stands behind him just staring, trying to take it in and James just lying still and pale as a statue. Eventually Laura mumbles something about work and leaves the two of them alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters; they are the property of Colin Dexter and ITV. I do not intend any copy right infringement and I make no profit from this.

I love Lewis and was gutted when it was cancelled but this is my first Lewis fanfic after being inspired to write my own after reading others. I apologies for any spelling and grammar mistakes that I haven't picked up on. I would be grateful if you could point any of these out to me and of any constructive criticism you would like to give.

I'm not a medical person so I apologies for any mistakes I've made regarding medical issues.

"Both police and coroner took a lenient view of the transaction, and beyond a mild censure for the delay in registering the lady's decease, the lucky owner got away scatheless from this strange incident in a career which has now outlived its shadows and promises to end in an honoured old age."

Robbie looked up with a sadness in his eye as he gently put the book to one side without closing it "Well lad, that's it every story of the great detective, we'll have to find another book now, we can't have that massive brain of yours wasting away, you need something to occupy you." He stood up, allowing his legs to move for the first time in hours, and walked over to the suitcase in the corner, rummaging around in the crumpled mess of pyjamas and socks he eventually found what he was looking for, a rather worse for wear looking copy of Hamlet, holding the book up he asked "this one next do you recon? Do you remember our first case together that was all a bit Hamletey?" The book sank back down along with his eyes as the man in the bed still gave no response.

It had been 63 days since the accident, 63 days and 62 Sherlock Holmes stories. Everyone says you should talk to someone in a coma but how can you keep talking about normal life when nothing is normal about life any more. He had always felt guilty and angry for not being there when Morse had died and a million times worse with Val, but at least that was final. But with James he there was so much uncertainty, like being trapped, he couldn't grieve because he wasn't dead and he couldn't move on because he could wake up any day, people wake up from comas all the time, but that didn't mean that James would. It wasn't even peaceful for him, Robbie could see the pain he was in sometimes when the nurse would try to elicit some response from him by causing him pain, it was fantastic to see his body become animated, fighting back against his unknown assailant but it still wasn't really him and Robbie hated seeing him going through any kind of suffering. After 10 days of keeping vigil by James's bed side Robbie had returned to work, but he still visited every day to give him an update on the case and to read him Sherlock Holmes. He didn't even know if James liked Sherlock Holmes, he half hoped that he didn't and would wake up just to tell his boss to shut up. Innocent dropped by at least once a week, she had always had a soft spot for James but every time she visited she behaved more like an angry boss than a concerned friend, reprimanding James for not coming into work and doing his job and leaving her with extra paper work, sometimes she would work herself into hysterics by shouting at him, but she wasn't really angry with him, the only person she was angry at was herself. Everyone has different ways of coping with things that no one should ever have to cope with.

Laura popped in as often as she could; it was easy for her what with working at the hospital. But her visits were often to see Robbie rather than James, not that she didn't want to see and talk to James, she just felt that by looking after his boss she was helping him out. She made sure that he left the hospital and didn't spend the night there as he had done in the first few days and that he was eating properly as well. Laura was also responsible for putting some of James's belongings in the suit case that was now sat at the edge of his room. But Laura wasn't coming tonight because she had gone away for the weekend on a course. She hadn't felt completely happy about leaving Robbie but she had made him some frozen meals and she was satisfied that although he wasn't his normal self he was at least functioning properly.

Robbie returned to his chair next to James's bed, with a quick glance to his sergeant, as if to make sure he was listening, he started to read

"Act 1 scene 1, Elsinore, a platform before the castle.

Francisco at his post. Enter to him Bernardo: "Who's there?" Francisco: "Nay, answer me: stand, and unfold yourself."" He paused "I hope you realise what I'm putting myself through here, honestly I've never heard so much tosh and we're only on the 6th line!" He continued to read until he could no longer hold his eyes open and his head drooped onto his chest with a slight snore.


End file.
